Saskatchewan · College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan
What happens during a CRNS investigation?
The decisive body is the Investigation Committee, and the decisive fact is that it has a wide menu of outcomes short of a hearing. Almost every one of them keeps your name off a publicly posted Notice of Hearing — which is published thirty days before anyone decides whether you did anything wrong.
The stake you may not have registered: if your matter is referred to the Discipline Committee, the Notice of Hearing — including the charges against you — is posted publicly on the CRNS website at least 30 days before the hearing, and the hearing itself is open to the public. Reputational exposure arrives before any finding of guilt. That is why the Investigation Committee stage is the one to fight.
Stage 1 — The Investigator
A written complaint is reviewed by an Investigator from the CRNS Professional Conduct team. The Investigator may contact the complainant for more information, and prioritises the matter according to the risk to the public and when the complaint was received. Professional Conduct then notifies both the complainant and you, sends you the complaint, and asks for your response.
From there, the Investigator builds the file: requesting patient charts and other relevant documents, and conducting interviews with witnesses, the complainant and you. The gathered material is then compiled and presented to the Investigation Committee.
Stage 2 — The Investigation Committee
The Investigation Committee is an independent panel of Registered Nurses and public representatives. Its powers are set out in section 28.1 of The Registered Nurses Act, 1988, and they are deliberately broad: it may take any steps it decides are necessary to properly investigate the complaint. It is this committee — not the Investigator, and not the Registrar — that determines the outcome.
The outcomes available — and why they matter
This is the part most nurses do not know, and it changes how you should approach the whole process. The Investigation Committee can:
- Take no further action — where there is not enough evidence that the conduct occurred, or that it amounts to misconduct or incompetence.
- Refer the matter to mediation — where the complaint concerns only the complainant and you, poses no risk to the public, and both parties agree.
- Issue a caution — requiring you to appear before the committee in person so it can convey its concerns directly, to help you improve and to prevent a repeat.
- Require a specific continuing education or remediation programme — targeted at the concerns the investigation found.
- Invite a voluntary agreement — asking you to enter into an agreement to address the concerns.
- Place conditions or restrictions on your licence.
- Accept a voluntary surrender of your licence to practise nursing.
- Require any other reasonable and appropriate action.
- Refer the complaint to the Discipline Committee — where it decides there is enough evidence, that the conduct could amount to professional misconduct or incompetence, that it cannot be addressed by the other outcomes, and that a hearing is in the public interest.
Read that last one closely. The referral test expressly asks whether the concern can be addressed by the other outcomes. A nurse who has already identified the failing, undertaken education, and put safeguards in place is answering that question in their own favour, in advance.
Stage 3 — The discipline hearing
Where the Investigation Committee recommends a hearing under s.28(3)(a), the matter goes to the Discipline Committee: a panel of five — four Registered Nurses and one public representative. The Executive Director and Registrar posts a Notice of Hearing on the CRNS website at least 30 days beforehand, setting out the charges, the date and the particulars. Hearings are open to the public and held virtually.
At the hearing, the Investigation Committee presents its evidence and you present yours. Note the structure the Act imposes: the Investigation Committee submits the evidence but takes no other part in the hearing, except as witnesses if required (s.29(2)). The Discipline Committee is not bound by the ordinary rules of evidence (s.29(4)) and may accept what it considers appropriate. You may be represented by counsel or an agent at your own expense (s.29(5)) — another reason CNPS and your union should already be involved.
Two hearings, not one
The Discipline Committee first decides whether you are guilty of professional misconduct and/or professional incompetence, and issues a written decision. If a finding is made, a second, separate hearing is held on penalty, at which both the Investigation Committee and you may make submissions. What that penalty can be — and how to shape it — is the subject of our final guide.
Key takeaways
- An Investigator gathers charts, documents and interviews, then presents the file to the Investigation Committee, which decides the outcome.
- The committee’s powers under s.28.1 are broad: it may take any steps it decides are necessary to investigate properly.
- Its outcomes range from no further action, mediation, a caution, a required education programme, an agreement, conditions or voluntary surrender — up to referral for a hearing.
- The referral test asks whether the concern cannot be addressed by the other outcomes — so remediation already done argues directly against referral.
- If referred, the Notice of Hearing and the charges are posted publicly at least 30 days before a hearing that is open to the public.
- The Discipline Committee is five members (four RNs, one public), is not bound by the rules of evidence, and holds a separate second hearing on penalty.
Related CPD courses
Structured CPD you can complete and evidence while your matter is live.
Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally Engaging with an investigation — cooperation, interviews, and the errors that escalate a matter. Insight for Fitness to Practise Demonstrating genuine insight — what regulators look for, and what they discount as rehearsed. Probity and Honesty for Healthcare Professionals Why honesty with the regulator is the line you cannot cross, and how probity findings are treated. Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals How conduct, competence and health concerns are each assessed, and what evidence each requires.These are independent CPD courses. They are not approved or accredited by the CRNS, they do not satisfy any specific education or remediation programme the Investigation Committee may require (the CRNS specifies those), and no course can guarantee an outcome.
Continue reading
How to respond to a CRNS complaint→ Remediation and reflection for Saskatchewan nurses and midwives→Frequently asked questions
Who decides the outcome of my complaint?
The Investigation Committee — an independent panel of Registered Nurses and public representatives. Its powers are set out in section 28.1 of The Registered Nurses Act, 1988, and it may take any steps it considers necessary to investigate.
What outcomes can the Investigation Committee reach?
No further action, mediation, a caution delivered in person, a required continuing education or remediation programme, a voluntary agreement, conditions or restrictions on the licence, acceptance of a voluntary surrender, any other reasonable action, or referral to the Discipline Committee.
When is a case referred to a discipline hearing?
Where the committee decides there is enough evidence, that the conduct could be professional misconduct or incompetence, that it cannot be addressed by the other outcomes, and that referral is in the public interest.
Is the hearing public?
Yes. The Notice of Hearing, including the charges, is posted on the CRNS website at least 30 days before the hearing, and hearings are open to the public and held virtually.
Who pays for my lawyer at the hearing?
You do. Under s.29(5) the nurse may be represented by counsel or an agent at their own expense, which is why CNPS and your union should be engaged from the outset.
Is guilt and penalty decided at the same hearing?
No. The Discipline Committee first decides whether you are guilty of professional misconduct and/or incompetence and issues a written decision. If a finding is made, a second hearing is held to determine penalty.
This guide concerns the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan (CRNS) and is general information only — it is not legal advice and does not create any relationship of advice or representation. If you have received a complaint, a request from an investigator, or a notice of hearing, contact the Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) and your union without delay, and take advice from a lawyer experienced in Saskatchewan nursing regulatory matters before you respond. The CRNS regulates RNs, NPs, RN(AAP)s, GNPs and GNs; registered midwives in Saskatchewan are regulated separately by the Saskatchewan College of Midwives under The Midwifery Act. Healthcare Ethics Courses is an independent CPD provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the CRNS or the SCM. Last updated 14 July 2026.